Favorite Bills RB

[Tcali]

17 minutes ago, vorpma said:

OJ great runner - TT greatest all around back and leader!

'all around back'...no. OJ was the best all around back.When you are in the top 3 running backs of all time you run the ball all the time.

1 minute ago, THE SLAMMER said:

$5 tickets on the 20

1.25 for every broad in the car

[Prickly Pete]

20 minutes ago, North Buffalo said:

Yeh OJ was better, but love Thurman despite the helmet incident.  Plus he signed my Superman comic book in the Buffalo airport and handed us oranges during Delaware Avenue parade in old fashion cars.  We were riding our banana sear bikes at the time.  For all his later stupidity OJ was awesome when I was a kid.  Though as a guy, despite his early womanizing... I like Thurman better.

 

"The helmet incident"....the single most overblown story in Bills history. Someone moved his helmet. The Super Bowl is all drawn out pre-game nonsense, so some overzealous sideline assistant decided to straighten up the helmets or something, and Thomas is somehow found to be guilty of not having his mind on the game?

 

POPPYCOCK.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 10, 2018 by OJABBA

[DocLawless]

Tough one. I voted Thurman because I think he is greatest Bills RB of all time and loved watching him play. But Fred Jackson is a VERY close second for me. That guy did everything right, played tough always, and had it much harder than Thurman. Both great backs. F OJ

[HOUSE]

1 hour ago, Tcali said:

'all around back'...no. OJ was the best all around back.When you are in the top 3 running backs of all time you run the ball all the time.

1.25 for every broad in the car

50 cent beer, $1 program

[BurpleBull]

Thurman Thomas.

 

Fred Jackson, Travis Henry, and Karlos Williams for their production.

 

CJ Spiller, Marshawn Lynch, Willis McGahee, and Antowain Smith for the hope they brought along with the occasional really big game.

[chris heff]

1 hour ago, LeGOATski said:

Gotta go with the real McCoy. NFL legend with Barry Sanders-esque ability. He can do everything, including pass blocking and is an awesome receiver.

 

If I'm putting together and All-Bills team, only OJ comes close to winning the job over McCoy.

 

Thurman Thomas would also be in the running.

 

Larry Centers would be my FB.

If Larry Centers is your FB, you never saw Cookie Gilchrist.

[Homey D. Clown]

I picked Freddie, but wanted to pick both Thurman and Freddie.  it's a tie, they both meant so much to this team.

[mead107]

Thurman. Past

Only saw OJ on TV once 

McCoy most recent 

[The Rev.Mattb74 ESQ.]

3 hours ago, Seanbillsfan2206 said:

My first favorite running back was Robb Riddick. 15 tds in 1988. Most of them from the 1 yard line

I  voted Cribbs, but Robb would have been number 2. I have his autograph on a piece of paper with Reich, Kidd, and Burroughs from when they stopped by my high school to play basketball.

[MJS]

I voted for McCoy. I'm too young to remember Thurman Thomas. I loved Fred Jackson, but he was only an above average running back. McCoy is an elite RB and makes some mind boggling plays.

[The Rev.Mattb74 ESQ.]

Who was the guy Marv loved, that he brought to camp every year and kept him until the final cut. I think he was on the practice squad every year until he was no longer eligible for it. Corey Bender maybe, not sure.

[Bing Bong]

Dark horse: marshawn Lynch is the realest you get. You can take the RB out of Oakland but you can't take the Oakland out of the RB

[TheBrownBear]

I'm a late 70's baby, so I can't consider OJ and Cribbs since they were before my time.  I saw every snap that Thurman played and he was our most productive running back ever, so I'll go with him.  Never hit the big flashy breakaway runs, but he was the best in the NFL at setting up his blockers and always finding himself 3-4 yards even when nothing was there.  Great pass catcher too.  Shady is a close second, but he has too many zero and negative yardage carries.

[klos63]

The Bills have had some tremendous running backs over the years, the first one I ever watched regularly was OJ, Thurman was more complete, but OJ was something special to watch.

[BigDingus]

In terms of what they did on the field and the success they brought to the team, Thurman for sure.

In regards to who they are as a person, on top of the kind of player they were, Fred Jackson.

[vorpma]

54 minutes ago, chris heff said:

If Larry Centers is your FB, you never saw Cookie Gilchrist.

Right on, Larry Centers is not in the same universe as Cookie; IMHO the greatest FB in the game after Jim Brown!

[BuckeyeBill]

No love for Spiller, huh?  I remember a two year stretch where I thought he was one of the best in the league.  Not surprised with the "no love" for McGahee.

[stony]

10 minutes ago, BuckeyeBill said:

No love for Spiller, huh?  I remember a two year stretch where I thought he was one of the best in the league.  Not surprised with the "no love" for McGahee.

I went down to Cleveland w some buddies for a game in 2012.  I'm pretty sure he got hurt that game, but there was a play he made where we all looked at each other and smiled thinking "we had something."  He had a great year in 2012.  

[Chicken Boo]

Shady.  Arguably the most talented RB the Bills have ever had.  

 

 

[JohnnyK]

1 hour ago, OJABBA said:

 

"The helmet incident"....the single most overblown story in Bills history. Someone moved his helmet. The Super Bowl is all drawn out pre-game nonsense, so some overzealous sideline assistant decided to straighten up the helmets or something, and Thomas is somehow found to be guilty of not having his mind on the game?

 

POPPYCOCK.

 

 

 

 

It was people working with Harry Conick Jr. (Spelling) who sang God bless America before the game that moved Thurman's helmet...and Thurman was my vote he was the best to watch in every situation, need one yard he turns sideways and gets it, 3 and 12 draw, runs around three guys and picks it up...shady could learn a lot from him!!!!

[Dopey]

5 hours ago, K-9 said:

All due respect to TT, Shady, and the rest but they don’t come close to what OJ was on the field. 

I remember crying as a kid when oj was traded. Too young to think about the bad knees and decline in performance. I voted Thurman though because of the Super Bowls. Even though we didn't win 1,  those were fun times ans I'm not sure we get there without him.  Tough call between the 2.

[Prickly Pete]

39 minutes ago, JohnnyK said:

It was people working with Harry Conick Jr. (Spelling) who sang God bless America before the game that moved Thurman's helmet...and Thurman was my vote he was the best to watch in every situation, need one yard he turns sideways and gets it, 3 and 12 draw, runs around three guys and picks it up...shady could learn a lot from him!!!!

 

Yeah, it was the Super Bowl, so the announcers are looking for anything to latch on to. "Boy, I don't know if Thurman Thomas has his head in the game"...!@#$ing nonsense. The Redskins were a big 7-point favorite going in to the game. They were the dominant team in the NFL that year.

 

 

I can't believe that is still hung on to Thomas by Bills fans. I could see casual fans, or Patriot fans making fun of it, but it was just a mix up. Thurman did other things that I didn't like, but I never questioned his heart, and dedication to winning. 

Edited May 11, 2018 by OJABBA

[PBLESS]

As an original Bills season ticket holder, I had to go with  Cookie. I absolutely love Thurman, Shady, OJ [as a player], Joe Cribbs and Fred. Cookie was from another planet. Third and 4----they knew he was coming, but nothing could be done, he could not be stopped, it was this that gave birth to the iconic "LOOKIE LOOKIE HERE COMES COOKIE" saying. Once into the open field, a defensive back was looking at the end of his career if Cookie was coming at him. At 6' 3' and 245 lbs, Gilchrist LOOKED for collisions. I forget his name, but there was a Patriot DB who , on 2 separate occassions, swallowed his tongue after colliding with this guy. At a booster club meeting, attended by not only a bunch of Bills but a half dozen players for the Cleveland Browns [they were in town for a charity basketball game against the Bills] I was talking to some of the Browns about Cookie, They knew him because immediately after high school when he was 17 yrs old he tried out for the Browns at fullback when they still had Jimmy Brown. They liked him and followed his career in Canada [where he played MLB and fullback], and then with the Bills. One of them a guard named John Wooten, told me that he thought Gilchrist was just as strong and fast as Brown and was a far better blocker. From what I understand the Browns came under some fire from the league for trying to hire a player under 18. He was a living legend among the guys he played with. I'm not sure he was completely wired right because he did some REALLY bizarre stuff. I don't recall why----but for a time, he kicked off and also kicked  FGs. He would kick off, then run down field with his arms out wide and made a sound like an airplane as he blasted one  opponent after the other. He  was also a bit of a problem OFF the field. He had a number of confrontations with the Buffalo PD, it seemed he did not care to be told to leave places that he chose to be at. He ended up paying a severe price for his ferocious style of play. It seems like it was about 5-6 yrs ago that I came across an address for Cookie and emailed him, and asked how he was doing. It turns out he was doing very poorly and had severe medical problems that he was unable to afford treatment for. He died not long after and his family donated his brain to whatever entity was accumalating info on brain injuries common to football players. I read that his brain had suffered catastrophic damage, that I'm sure was a result of his violent style of play. 

I won't go into it here, but if you're interested, look up the story about going to an all-star game in New Orleans and finding out that the black players were told they couldn't stay at the same hotel as the white players. Like I said before---- he didn't like being told he had to leave some place he chose to be at----it made an interesting story if you care to look it up.

 

 

[njbuff]

What, no love for Shawn Bryson, Sammy Morris or Jonathon Linton?

 

I'm horrified.

 

[Magnum Force]

Thurman Thomas

[Bookie Man]

No Tim Tindale haha?

Edited May 11, 2018 by Rise Up Lights

[Magnum Force]

4 hours ago, Jay_Fixit said:

Favorite is Thurman. He’s the RB that I grew up with as a Bills fan.

 

Travis Henry is next. That dude played through pain, ran hard and impregnated any woman that was within 10’ of him.

 

Tough not to love that kind of bravado.

That is one of the funniest posts I have read.

[BillsFan17]

Thurman is my OG, but loved Willis McGahee.

[Nick the Greek]

Fast Freddy. He always ran HARD! 

 

Bills legend. 

 

AND 

 

What about the A-train? 

 

Great nickname, not so great Bill. 

Edited May 11, 2018 by Idandria

[reddogblitz]

6 hours ago, Heitz said:

 

Or off, for that matter... O_O

 

I wear a #34 during the season, so you know where my vote went!

 

Do you sit in the Van Miller section?

[Prickly Pete]

40 minutes ago, BillsFan17 said:

Thurman is my OG, but loved Willis McGahee.

 

Wow, you must have been really young.

[Virgil]

7 hours ago, Brianmoorman4jesus said:

For a brief moment in time, Travis Henry was really good. He’s not my favorite. At this point, Shady is. But man it’s easy to forget how good Henry was.

 

Henry was impressive for his size and always seemed to fall forward. 

 

Unfortunately, he also couldn’t seem to pull out. 

[Prickly Pete]

I just checked on Wiki, but it's not clear, is Travis Henry still in jail?

 

 

 

Edited May 11, 2018 by OJABBA

[Shaw66]

3 hours ago, Chicken Boo said:

Shady.  Arguably the most talented RB the Bills have ever had.  

 

 

No, it isn't arguable.  I love McCoy, but Simpson was head and shoulders above him. 

 

As someone said, the Bills have had good running backs.  Maybe the best collection running backs of any team in the league.  Bears has Peyton and Sayers and Forte.  Cowboys. Browns.

 

Simpson, Thomas, McCoy, Gilchrist, Cribbs, Lynch.  Name a team where Fred Jackson would be the SEVENTH best back in franchise history.  

[folz]

I voted Thurman (leads all Bills RBs in yards, led the league in yards from scrimmage 4 years in a row...only other player to ever do that was Jim Brown, would have been Super Bowl MVP if Norwood's kick went through. How many RBs win that over their HOF QB? Was huge in the playoffs/big games---186 and 3 TDs in Championship game vs. Chiefs, etc.).

 

And for some reason, Joe Cribbs was the 2nd player I thought of when first reading the post, though of course O.J. and Thurman are really 1a/1b...and you can debate about which of the two should be on top. Not old enough to have seen Cookie play, so can't really choose him as my favorite. I am a huge Freddie fan!!!! And Shady would round out the top 5 for me.

 

Thurman

O.J.

Cribbs

Freddie

Shady

 

honorable mention: Kenny Davis...loved his unselfishness and competitiveness and the guy knew how to find the endzone

 

Shout out to some guys that didn't make the poll: Robb Riddick and Greg Bell

 

[Prickly Pete]

I guess it needs to be noted that the OP wants to know your "favorite"....not necessarily "the best".

[Ol Dirty B]

I didnt vote yet. It's really between Thurman and McCoy for me because I have an actual like I watched them play attachment to them.

 

However. Antowain Smith, I had to click results to see if he received any votes. And not to my surprise, he didn't. I just remember him getting a lot of hate in the late 90s. I was young, but I thought I was pretty perceptive. 

 

I'd love to hear some people older than me speak on how they thought he was regarded by fans. I remember, I could be wrong, but didn't he just a big ass run on that last scoring drive in Nashville in 99?

 

I think he was forced out while stiff arming a guy or ran out pretty easily and after the dude busted a big run all I can remember is my dad bitching " Thurman would have scored" My dad is a hot take artist.  I could also be completely wrong, I was 10. And I have no desire to watch that game again.

Edited May 11, 2018 by Ol Dirty B

[BuffaloButt]

Got a lot of love for Freddie Jackson, dude is all heart out on the football field and off!  

Plenty of love for The Thurmanator, Kenny Davis and Shady as well!

 

Go BILLS!!!

[tlfcbb]

I totally loved Thurman but I voted for Fred because Thurman played in a great team.  That team had so many players you could really enjoy watching.  There is no doubt that it is easier to play on a great team.  For years, Fred was the only pleasure we got watching the Bills and on numerous occasions he carried the team on his back.  That is why he got my vote.  P.S. - I think OJ was our greatest ever at the position but I did not get to see him play and I would also say that honourable mention goes to Shady who lights up so many games. 

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

No need to be contrarian here, Thurman could take over games reinvented RB, was part of a winning era and has stayed a bill long after his career ended.